Apologies for the delayed reviews. The power was out most of the day yesterday and I've been dealing with family/holiday stuff most of today. This was another project that definitely got my creative juices flowing and honestly made me crave actually playing for the first time in a while. The Vegas idea was such a clear and tangible spark of creativity and I love how ya'll just absolutely ran with it. It gives the whole land a very inspired neo-noir take on the Frontierland set-up. With that said, I do think broadly speaking there might be perhaps a bit too much of a leaning into sci-fi territory. It's a tricky thing to balance when you're working with a post-apocalyptic setting and generally speaking I think you pulled it off really well.
Broad strokes, the world-building here is excellent. Both of the 1986 parks were game-changers as far as I'm concerned when it came to backstory on a park-wide level and this absolutely continues that. The roster of attractions was very engaging and well-rounded, with each thing with one or two exceptions going a long way towards fleshing out the overall backstory while still being accessible in its own way without needing to dive deep into anything. The area had a really strongly executed dark comedy vibe to it that existed somewhere in the realm between Mad Max and Cowboys and Aliens. All in all the project had a very strong voice behind it.
Shopping/Dining
I feel like the shopping was a little bit streamlined with the future/past theme, but the dining options as a foodie were definitely a selling point. I feel like perhaps a little more could have been done with the casino theme in both regards, but having a classic casino buffet in there is definitely theme-appropriate at the very least. Overall a nice well rounded collection of offerings.
Flat Rides
This is one of the areas the project really shines it. Too often I feel like side attractions get lost in the shuffle and I'm getting a bit sick of even the big dogs like Disney and Universal rely on the "big E-Ticket with supporting C/D Ticket" model and leaves the rest of the land feeling like a glorified shopping mall (*ahem* Galaxy's Edge...) My single nitpick with any of this (basically every side attraction besides the one that shall not be named
) is having casino themed stuff roped off and exclusively for adults definitely feels weird for a Disney park, even if it's thematically appropriate. I would have maybe gone with a "the kids have taken over the casino" kind of theme, but that's just me. Not too sure how needed a Skyway is besides being a Tomorrowland callback. The flat rides in particular despite being rather off-the-shelf in nature add a ton of those sweet, sweet kinetics!
Journey into Mutant Mountain
Unfortunately this was the weakest part of the project for me, and as the land's anchor attraction that definitely hurts the bottom line. Overall the idea of Mutant Mountain is a solid one, albeit a little too far into sci-fi for my tastes given the Frontierland theme. It's the execution that feels very rushed and almost unfinished. Pretty decent build-up, but the ride-through itself leaves something to be desired. Perhaps it would have worked better as a supporting attraction?
Robots (who definitely won't rebel against us) Revue
YES! This is gold. The presentation is brilliant. The comedy is melding with the backstory in glorious synergy. This is the kind of goofy supporting attraction that can take a land from great to classic. While the idea of a robot rebellion is a bit cliche, the twist on the barely-hanging-together FNAF vibe and riffs on the Tiki Room formula just amount to a true high point in the project.
Attack of the Mutant Spiders
I kind of feel like this and Mutant Mountain should have been blended together into either one attraction, or at least a more cohesive Thunder Mesa style experience. With that being said, this is still a really inspired twist on the classic Big Thunder formula. In some ways I definitely feel like it kind of overshadows Mutant Mountain as far as detail and immersion is concerned. Just overall feels like a very fun addition and a potential tent-pole to hang the land around.
Restricted Area
Saving this for last because it was the true game-changer here. Weirdly with Super Mario World the thing I'm most excited about isn't Mario Kart but rather the underground maze, and I think this concept takes that same idea and goes even further with it. The idea of having theme park space be purely exploratory and there just for the atmosphere of it all is something I've definitely been interested in and played around with. It's almost frustrating how insanely well done Diagon Alley is with the countless window effects and Nocturne Alley when the actual E-Ticket is a bit underwhelming, for example. I've explored the idea of a Star Fox riff on Galaxy's Edge with secret caves to explore that would lead to a hidden Metroid crossover attraction. The idea of a "hidden" attraction is pretty far off, but my god if this isn't a good start to that kind of concept. To me this is by far the most inspired thing here apart from the actual theme of the land itself. It really rounded out the land and made the attraction roster feel satisfying and complete.
